SUNRISE

MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2011 |

SUNRISE

| THE BALTIMORE SUN

WEEKEND REWIND

BARBARA HADDOCK TAYLOR/BALTIMORE SUN PHOTO

Swirl, taste, repeat at state wine festival

Carmen Summons, left, and Shirleen Ferguson of Baltimore enjoy a taste of wine Sunday at the Great Grapes Festival at Oregon Ridge Park, which showcases wines made by Maryland vintners.

JOE SORIERO/BALTIMORE SUN PHOTOS

Happy Hons at festival

Barbara Lilly, above left, and Christine Gamble put their own twist on classic Hon Hairdos as part of Hampdens annual Honfest. Among the other participants in the party were Sandy Norman, below left, and Madalen Boas, who holds her trophy from the Lil Miss Hon Contest.

STEVE RUARK/PHOTO FOR THE BALTIMORE SUN

Gone Phishin
Trey Anastasio, singer and guitarist for Phish, performs Saturday at Merriweather Post Pavilion. In recent years, the worlds most popular jam band has played two-night stands at the Columbia amphitheater.

More online

See more photos from this weekends events at baltimoresun.com/entertainment

LUNCH TIMED

Fresh and fast at Big Apple Tree

This downtown pay-by-weight buffet has good options, excels at vegetables
By John Lindner
SPECIAL TO THE BALTIMORE SUN

Choosy diners know that among the myriad offerings in pay-by-weight buffets, they are likely to find much that is mediocre and maybe a few reliable comfort food picks. Big Apple Tree Cafe runs a pay-by-weight buffet and operates a sandwich counter at Baltimore and South streets. The cafe serves breakfast and lunch in a quadrant of the city teeming with government and private office workers. It sits within a couple of blocks of the the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse, Courthouse East and City Hall. But whats best about the Big Apple Tree Cafe makes a longer walk rewarding.
JERRY JACKSON/BALTIMORE SUN PHOTO

The wave pool is going strong at Six Flags America but July will bring the dismantling of Skull Mountain.

12:22 Tall windows help make Big Apple one of the

brighter cafeterias in its class. This is no less true of the buffet lighting, which makes for an attractive presentation, especially true of the salad and fruit islands. On this visit, the sandwich counter seemed to maintain a steady line of around eight or nine people either waiting to order or pick up. The buffet islands were even more popular; some sides were packed. Diners circled the islands and moved down the lines of food pans, weighing options and making picks sort of like Big Apple speed dating for calories.
JOHN LINDNER/PHOTO FOR THE BALTIMORE SUN

ESCAPE PLAN

Amazon-like park added to Six Flags

THE BALTIMORE SUN

The fruit offerings are plentiful and crisp at Big Apple Tree Cafe, which has hot entrees as well as a sandwich counter that is prompt with a range of tasty subs and sandwiches.

Tree Cafe

Its out with the old and in with the new at Six Flags America this summer. The waterpark Hurricane Harbor beckons thrill seekers with the opening of a faster, better and wetter attraction ZoomAzon Falls, the parks first body slides for tweens, teens and adults. Meanwhile, an old favorite Skull Mountain this week begins its countdown to retirement. The part-water flume and part-coaster ride ends its decade-long run on July 10, when it will be dismantled to make way for a new attraction. The park will donate a boat from Skull Mountain to the National Roller Coaster Museum in Texas after the final voyage. THE PLAN: Starting today Six Flags visitors will , have special photo opportunities for Skull Mountain. A pirate festival goodbye party is planned for July 9-10. After paying your respects to the old ride, head for the new Amazonian-themed water attraction at ZoomAzon Falls. Choose one of four twisting and turning body slides, each enhanced by a waterfall, tropical decor and an authentic jungle soundtrack. The new aquatic adventure is more than a half-mile of splashing fun, but you have to be a minimum 48 inches tall to ride the attraction at the park, on Central Avenue east of I-495. THE DETAILS: ZoomAzon Falls is open through Sept. 5. Admission prices vary for Six Flags. A 2011 Splash Pass is $54.99 the same price as a one-day admission and includes unlimited visits through Labor Day . INFORMATION: Go to sixflags.com/america

menu above the sandwich counter announces almost as many offerings as the buffet islands. We picked an Italian cold cut and then checked out the islands. A few, and only a very few, items appear sketchy, like maybe theyve lounged in the tray too long or have been picked over to exhaustion. Everything else ranged from presentable to tempting. The two islands holding salad fixings, fruits and vegetables are particularly attractive. The variety is stunning. If you think of pay-by-weight buffets as all gloppy sauces and overcooked meat, well, chances are youre speaking from experience. But Big Apple makes a strong showing in meatless meals. The buffet charge is $6.29 a pound for hot food and salad items. We went for variety and small portions and ended up weighing in at almost exactly one pound. Our drinks, a couple of bottles of fruit juice, were two bucks apiece. Plan to spend at least $8 for food and drink.

Where: 300 E. Baltimore St., Baltimore Contact: 410-468-3022 Lunch hours: 10:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. Monday-Friday Lunch entrees: $3.59-$6.49 Buffet: $6.29/lb. Food: 12 Service: 12 Atmosphere: 12 [Key: Outstanding: Good: Fair or Uneven: Poor: ]

12:33 The long overhead

actly as we finished plundering the islands. And despite the crowd, we found a window seat on the Baltimore Street side. Our cold cut sub was a solid piece of work, and a fair deal at $5.79. The meat-to-bread ratio was good, and the hots and dressing were balanced. Its a good pick for a quick meal, whether you eat in or take it out, as long as you get to it before the bread goes soggy . As for the buffet samplings, a good number of our selections were in keeping with institutional, high-volume cooking: Well above the most notorious grades of hospital and certainly airline meals, but few of the meats and pastas would prompt us to run back for seconds. The teriyaki sauce seemed gelatin-based. The fettuccine was al dente, unlike the ziti, but we liked them both. The onion rings were tasty but remarkably chewy like theyd cured too long in display , . The whiting, though, probably suits to a T the taste of many folks who like their fish cooked well done and moistened with a light stock. On the other hand, the veggies came off very well. We were particularly impressed with the asparagus. Texture, flavor, color, seasonings: The Cafe hit every note right. But nothing on this visit compared to the fruit. Melons, berries, pineapple, kiwi all were fresh, good color, cool, and just ripe. During hot spring and summer days, Big Apple is a significant find for crisp and juicy fare. With no intended slight to the carbs and protein on display here, it would be hard to return and not focus exclusively on veggies and fruit.

1:02 So the Big Apple is a popular

Dining time:

40
minutes

12:44 Despite the lines, our cold cuts order was called ex-

lunch spot, fast, heavy on variety and a , potential oasis for vegetarian dining. If youre on jury duty or otherwise pressed for time, turning lunch in under an hour, walking included, will be no problem here even when its busy .